Device for attaching water pump to aquarium

ABSTRACT

A flexible attaching device for attaching a water pump to an aquarium, includes a flexible stem having one end for attaching to the aquarium, and the other end for coupling to a water pump with a coupling device. The coupling device includes a plate attached to the flexible stem for coupling to the water pump with one or more sucker devices. A seat includes a fastener device for detachably attaching to the aquarium, and a coupler is attached to the seat and has a chamber to rotatably receive a ball which is attached to one end of the flexible stem, for allowing the flexible stem and the water pump to be adjusted relative to the seat and the aquarium.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an attaching device, and moreparticularly to a flexible attaching device for attaching water pumps toaquariums.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Various kinds of typical aquariums have been developed and comprise awater pump disposed inside or outside the aquarium, for pumping andcirculating water through the aquarium.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,600 to Mowka, Jr. et al., and U.S. Pat.No. 5,066,394 to Harrison disclose two of the typical aquariums eachcomprising a water pump disposed within the aquarium, for pumping andcirculating water through the aquarium.

However, the water pumps are normally solidly disposed and positionedwithin the aquariums, and may not be adjusted to different directions,such that the water pumps may not be used for pumping and circulatingwater toward various directions in the aquariums.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,911 to Chow et al. disclose another typical aquariumcomprising a water pump disposed outside the aquarium, for pumping andcirculating water through the aquariums with pipings or hoses.

However, the water pumps are disposed and positioned outside theaquariums, and also may not be adjusted to different directions, suchthat the water pumps also may not be used for pumping and circulatingwater toward various directions in the aquariums.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,929 to Kozak discloses a typical portable toolhaving a flexible extension shaft. However, the typical flexibleextension shafts may not be used to attach or secure a water pump to anaquarium.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate theafore-described disadvantages of the conventional water pumpes foraquariums.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide anattaching device for flexibly attaching a water pump to an aquarium andthus for allowing the water pump to be positioned or adjusted todifferent directions, and to pump and circulate water toward variousdirections in the aquariums.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided aflexible attaching device for attaching a water pump to an aquarium, theflexible attaching device comprising a flexible stem including a firstend and a second end, an attaching device for attaching the first end ofthe flexible stem to the aquarium, a water pump, and a coupling devicefor coupling the second end of the flexible stem to the water pump.

The coupling device includes a plate attached to the second end of theflexible stem for coupling to the water pump. The water pump includes atleast one sucker device provided thereon, for attaching to the plate.

The flexible stem includes a ball attached to the first end thereof, andthe attaching device includes a seat, a fastener device attached to theseat for detachably attaching the seat to the aquarium, and a couplerattached to the seat and having a chamber formed therein to rotatablyreceive the ball.

The fastener device is preferably a clip. The seat includes a shankextended therefrom, the coupler includes a screw hole formed therein forthreading with the shank of the seat. The seat includes a lock nutthreaded onto the shank, and engageable with the coupler, to lock thecoupler to the shank.

The coupler includes a plurality of posts extended therefrom to definethe chamber thereof. Each of the posts includes a projection extendedinto the chamber of the coupler, to engage with the ball, and torotatably retain the ball within the chamber of the coupler. The couplerincludes a plurality of slots formed between the posts, to receive andposition the flexible stem to the coupler.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from a careful reading of the detailed description providedhereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial cross sectional view of an aquarium having aflexible attaching device in accordance with the present invention, forattaching a water pump to the aquarium;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the flexible attaching device forattaching the water pump to the aquarium;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view as seen from a direction of theflexible attaching device opposite to that shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial exploded view of the flexible attaching device;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG.2;

FIG. 6 is a partial cross sectional view similar to FIG. 1, illustratingthe other arrangement of the flexible attaching device relative to theaquarium; and

FIGS. 7, 8 are partial cross sectional views similar to FIG. 5,illustrating the angular adjusting operation of the flexible attachingdevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-5, a flexibleattaching device 30 in accordance with the present invention is providedfor flexibly attaching a water pump 10 to an aquarium 20, and forallowing the water pump 10 to be positioned or adjusted to differentdirections relative to the aquarium 20, and to pump and circulate watertoward various directions in the aquarium 20.

The flexible attaching device 30 comprises a seat 31, a fastener device32, such as a clip 32 attached to the seat 31, for detachably andselectively attaching the seat 31 of the flexible attaching device 30 tothe aquarium 20, such as to an outer peripheral wall 21 of the aquarium20 (FIG. 1), or to an upper portion 23 of the aquarium 20 (FIG. 6). Thefastener device 32 may also be the other detachably attaching devices,such as quick release fasteners (not shown) or the like.

The seat 31 includes a threaded shank 33 extended therefrom and havingan outer thread formed thereon, and a lock nut 34 is threaded onto thethreaded shank 33. A coupler 40 includes a screw hole 41 formed therein,for threading onto the threaded shank 33, and the lock nut 34 may berotated or moved to engage with the coupler 40, for solidly locking thecoupler 40 to the threaded shank 33. The coupler 40 includes one or moreflat surfaces 42 formed thereon for allowing the coupler 40 to besolidly rotated or driven by driving wrenches (not shown) or the like.

The coupler 40 includes a chamber 43 formed therein, and defined by orbetween one or more posts 44, or includes one or more posts 44 extendedtherefrom, to form or define the chamber 43 thereof, and the coupler 40may thus include one or more slots 45 formed or defined between theposts 44. Each of the posts 44 preferably includes a projection 46extended into the chamber 43 of the coupler 40.

A flexible stem 47 is further provided and includes a ball 48 providedor attached to one end 471 thereof, and a coupling device 49, such as aplate 49 provided or attached to the other end 472 thereof. One exampleof the flexible stem 47 has been taught and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,876,929 to Kozak which may then be taken as a reference for thepresent invention.

The ball 48 is rotatably received in the chamber 43 of the coupler 40,and anchored or retained within the chamber 43 of the coupler 40 byengaging with the projections 46 of the posts 44 (FIGS. 5-8), to preventthe ball 48 from being disengaged from the coupler 40, and to allow theball 48 and thus the flexible stem 47 to be rotated or adjusted relativeto the coupler 40 to any selected angular direction (FIGS. 5 and 7-8).

The coupling device 49 or the plate 49 is provided for attaching orcoupling the water pump 10 to the flexible stem 47, and thus to the seat31, and thus for allowing the water pump 10 to be flexibly attached tothe aquarium 20, and for allowing the water pump 10 to be positioned andadjusted to different directions relative to the aquarium 20, and thusto pump and circulate water toward various directions in the aquarium20.

For example, the water pump 10 may include one or more sucker devices 11attached thereto, for attaching or securing to the coupling device 49 orthe plate 49, best shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, and thus for attaching thewater pump 10 to the seat 31 via the flexible stem 47 and the coupler40.

In operation, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7-8, the ball 48 may first berotatably received in the chamber 43 of the coupler 40, and anchored orretained in the coupler 40 by the projections 46 of the posts 44. Thecoupler 40 may then be rotated and threaded to the threaded shank 33which may be engaged with the ball 48, after the ball 48 has beenadjusted relative to the coupler 40 to the required angular direction,to solidly secure the ball 48 to the coupler 40 at the selected angulardirection.

It is preferable that the flexible stem 47 may be engaged in either ofthe slots 45 of the coupler 40, to further position or retain theflexible stem 47 to the coupler 40 at the selected or required angulardirection. The flexible attaching device 30 may thus be used to flexiblyor adjustably attach the water pump 10 to the aquarium 20 and directedtoward different directions relative to the aquarium 20, and thus toallow the water pump 10 to pump and circulate water toward variousdirections in the aquarium 20.

Accordingly, the flexible attaching device for attaching pump toaquarium in accordance with the present invention may be used forflexibly attaching the water pump to the aquarium and thus for allowingthe water pump to be positioned or adjusted to different directions, andto pump and circulate water toward various directions in the aquariums.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure hasbeen made by way of example only and that numerous changes in thedetailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

1. A flexible attaching device for attaching a water pump to anaquarium, said flexible attaching device comprising: a flexible stemincluding a first end and a second end, means for attaching said firstend of said flexible stem to the aquarium, a water pump, and means forcoupling said second end of said flexible stem to said water pump. 2.The flexible attaching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidcoupling means includes a plate attached to said second end of saidflexible stem for coupling to said water pump.
 3. The flexible attachingdevice as claimed in claim 2, wherein said water pump includes at leastone sucker device provided thereon, for attaching to said plate.
 4. Theflexible attaching device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flexiblestem includes a ball attached to said first end thereof, and saidattaching means includes a seat, a fastener device attached to said seatfor detachably attaching said seat to the aquarium, and a couplerattached to said seat and having a chamber formed therein to rotatablyreceive said ball.
 5. The flexible attaching device as claimed in claim4, wherein said fastener device is a clip.
 6. The flexible attachingdevice as claimed in claim 4, wherein said seat includes a shankextended therefrom, said coupler includes a screw hole formed thereinfor threading with said shank of said seat.
 7. The flexible attachingdevice as claimed in claim 6, wherein said seat includes a lock nutthreaded onto said shank, and engageable with said coupler, to lock saidcoupler to said shank.
 8. The flexible attaching device as claimed inclaim 4, wherein said coupler includes a plurality of posts extendedtherefrom to define said chamber thereof.
 9. The flexible attachingdevice as claimed in claim 8 wherein each of said posts includes aprojection extended into said chamber of said coupler, to engage withsaid ball, and to rotatably retain said ball within said chamber of saidcoupler.
 10. The flexible attaching device as claimed in claim 8,wherein said coupler includes a plurality of slots formed between saidposts, to receive and position said flexible stem to said coupler.